Apparatus for the continuous dyeing of wool with a dye liquor



Oct. 12, 1965 H. SCHWAB ETAL 3,210,967

APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS DYEING 0F wooL WITH A DYE LIQUOR Filed Sept. 9, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 60 E S /4 l 5 I /3 6i 27 7 I S 2 O f zi 26 g l0 E 5 i 9 u z i r:

"" Heinz .Scmg'ab 0 Char/9.9...S01ran Ernst Rumble /2 2a MYIILeuIenegger INVENTORS BMW M ATTORN EYS' 06L 1965 H. scHwAB ETAL 3,210,957

APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS DYEING OF WOOL WITH A DYE LIQUOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 9, 1963 E rnsl A. Rb uch/e Willi Leu/enegger INVENTORS BY h/ulmli, LA WW1 n mm w m ms 8 s m mm H0 FIG 3 ATTORNEYS Oct. 12, 1965 H. SCHWAB ETAL APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS DYEING OF WOOL WITH A DYE LIQUOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 9, 1963 wmmw d am M RW 8s .8 G L m WM mm HCEW INVENTORS BY /UM,MW

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,210,967 APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS DYEING OF WOOL WITH A DYE LIQUOR Heinz Schwab, Birsfelden, Basel-Land, Charles Soiron, Riehen, near Basel, Ernst Adolf Rauchle, Basel, and Willi Leutenegger, Bottmingen, Basel-Land, Switzerland, assignors to J. R. Geigy A.G., Basel, Switzerland Filed Sept. 9, 1963, Ser. No. 307,495 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Dec. 12, 1962, 14,575/62 11 Claims. (Cl. 68--5) The present invention relates to an apparatus for the continuous dyeing of wool and similar fibers with a dye liquor.

The concept of dyeing wool and other textile fibers in a continuous process is not new. Many and varied suggestions have been made as to ways in which this may be accomplished. There is, for example, the method of using neutral or acid steam for fixing the dyestulf after the latter has been deposited on the wool. The use of an atmosphere of steam for fixing a dyestuff has also been known for a long time in the textile printing art. However, with the exception of the Vigoureux Process, this method of after-treatment with steam has not, up to the present time, been found to be economically practical for W001 because the resulting dyed wool usually presents a skittery, i.e. unevenly dyed aspect. A prerequisite for successful dyestuif fixation with steam is that the steam is saturated but not superheated. There are in existence machines with which woollen piece goods, but no slubbings, can be dyed by this process.

There are also other machines for the dyeing of wool slubbing which consist mainly of a large container in the form of a horizontally disposed cylinder which is provided at one end with a socket for admitting the dyed but still unfixed slubbings and at the other end with a discharge pipe for the steam-fixed dyed slubbings. In the opening of the feed socket, there is often housed a pad mangle which closes this socket against the escape of steam while feeding the slubbing therethrough into the interior of the cylinder. The outlet pipe is provided with a series of rollers which, at the same time, close the pipe against the escape of steam while effecting withdrawal of the slubbing from the cylinder. In the interior of the cylinder, there is provided a conveyer belt for moving the slubbing, fed onto the same through the entry socket, toward the outlet pipe. Slubbings are placed by means of a cutling frame or other conventional means on one end of the conveyor belt, while from the other end of the conveyor belt, the steamed slubbing is withdrawn through the aforesaid series of rollers in the outlet pipe.

Steam is continuously fed into the cylinder in an attempt to maintain in the latter the atmosphere most favorable for fixing 'as explained hereinbefore, namely saturated steam, while the cylinder is being heated simultaneously to operational temperature.

However, it is very difficult to control the rate of steam and the temperature sufficiently exactly to maintain the desired optimal atmosphere. Instead, the steam atmosphere in the cylinder is frequently either superheated or moist resulting either in skittery or insufliciently fixed dyeing of the slubbings.

In the cotton industry, where the material to be treated is considerably more homogeneous than in the wool industry, a so-calledJ-box apparatus is used for performing hot operations, for example bleaching or scour-ing. Attempts had also been made to use such J-box installations for the continuous dyeing of wool slubbing. The apparatus used for such purpose had a vertically disposed elongated box of rectangular cross section and ]-shaped longitudinal section, the so-called J-box, to the bottom 3,210,967 Patented Oct. 12, 1965 of which a bent outlet tube was connected, while the upper end of the J-box is open to receive the slubbings from a pair of feed rollers, which, in turn, are housed in the upper opening of a heat jacket which surrounds the J-box except for the outlet end thereof. The J-box is heated by steam passing through the heating jacket to maintain the temperature of the contents at the desired level, while in the upper part of the heat jacket above the upper end of the J-box, in the so-called steam room, steam was caused to act directly on the slubbings entering the apparatus through the feed rollers. A pad mangle was used to impregnate the slubbings with dye liquor, and the slubbings were then passed over the guide rollers to the two feed rollers in the opening of the heat jacket enclosing the l-box fed by the rollers into the interior of the box. When several slubbings were introduced simultaneously, entanglement of the same occurred easily, especially in a box of correspondingly enlarged cross section. This led to frequent tearing of the slubbings during withdrawal from the J-box.

After the treatment was completed, the slubbings were withdrawn from the open lower end of the J-bo-x protruding from the heat jacket by any type of rollers and then rinsed. This apparatus was capable of producing continuously dyed slubbings but it was soon found that the fastness properties of the resulting dyeings were neither constant over the whole length of the slubbing nor throughout the entire cross section thereof. This was largely due to the fact that the steam which entered the heating jacket at the lower end thereof, had to serve simultaneously for heating the J-box and for heating and fixing the dyeing on the wool slubbing, but reached the latter usually with a varying content of moisture and not as perfectly saturated steam. Moreover, local overheating due to insufficient temperature control over the whole length of the J-box led to local sticking of the slubbing windings in the interior of the J-box tothe walls of the same.

There is also known an apparatus in which the stacking of the goods is facilitated by a shaking movement of the whole equipment relative to the guide rollers.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the continuous dyeing and steaming of pad-dyed wool slubbings, whereby dyed and fixed slubbings of unobjectionable quality are obtained the dyeing being fully fixed and perfectly even over the whole length as well as the entire cross section of each slubbing.

This object and others that will become apparent as the description of the invention proceeds, are obtained by the apparatus according to the invention which comprises one or several pad mangles and one or, several empty J-tubes of preferably circular cross section, one or several I-tubes being disposed underneath each pad mangle. The inner diameter of the cross section of each J-tube is preferably from about 10 to 30 cm.

It is another important feature of the apparatus according to the invention that the upper part of each J-tube which is preferably of wider cross section than the main portion of the tube, serves as a steam chamber into which the slubbing freshly impregnated with pad liquor from the pad-mangle, on the one hand, and fresh saturated steam on the other hand are directly introduced and brought into intimate contact with each other.

According to another important feature of the invention, the main portion of the I-tube to the point close to the exit opening of the J-tube is enclosed by a heating mouth which is heated by steam separately from the steam introduced into the aforesaid steam chamber, the J-tube thus being heated externally.

It is yet .another feature according to the invention that the interior of the J-tube, which is free from encumbrances such as conveyor belts and the like, is completely smooth and round, thus forming a channel for the goods which pass slowly and continuously through the same.

The apparatus according to the invention is described more fully in the following specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partly diagrammatic, partly cross sectional view taken on a vertical plane of a first embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention:

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the upper part of the J-tube of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a View similar to FIG. 1 of a second embodiment taken on line III-III of FIG. 4; and

' FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 3.

The construction shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 comprises a pad mangle generally indicated at 1 and a J-tube positioned underneath it generally indicated at 2. This J-tube is covered at its top end by a lid 3a which has an inlet opening 3 which, for example, can be rectangular, as can be seen from FIGURE 2. The whole J-tube, the interior of which is completely empty, i.e. has no moveable parts within it, consists of two different sections, a relatively short upper section 4 having a length I which is preferably about 50 cm. to about 90 cm., and which encloses the so-called steam room 19, and a considerably longer lower main section 5 through which the goods to be dyed pass slowly. Section 5 itself is formed of a straight main tube 7 having a circular cross section with an inside diameter of preferably from about to about 30 cm., and preferably from 10-20 cm., or about cm., and the interior surface of which is completely smooth, and of a bent tubular piece 8 attached to the lower end of straight tube 7 which is curved to reverse the flow of goods from downward to upward direction and has an extension tube 9 which is straight and preferably about 40 to 60 cm. long, extending upwardly from the lowermost end of bent piece 8 at an angle a to the vertical straight tube 7 which is between to 70 and the exact inclination of which depends on the weight of the goods in tube 7.

The length 1 of the straight section 5 is from about 8 to 12 times the length 1 of the steam room 19, preferably 4.60 m. to 6.60 m. but it can be longer when the apparatus is to be used for a slower dyeing process and shorter when it is to be used for a quicker dyeing process. The straight tube 7 is surrounded by an insulated jacket 6 which defines between it and the container a chamber 10 for passing a heating-medium therethrough. The heating chamber 10 may extend, if desired, to the open end of the extension 9 (not shown). Two or more steam inlets 11 opening into this chamber 10 and an outlet 12 for the discharge of steam and condensate is provided at the bottom of chamber 10. In a modified embodiment (not shown), the outlet 12 is provided with a valve which is normally closed, and only opened from time to time to remove condensate, and the heating jacket 6 is further provided with a pressure relief valve. The temperature in the main tube 7 is controlled by a thermostat element 13 protruding barely with a preferably resilient end into the tube interior and the temperature in the heating chamber 10 is controlled by a thermostat element 14, the thermostat elements being connected to steam flow control means S as indicated by dotted lines. Of course, thermostat elements can also be placed at other locations in the main tube 7 and the heating chamber 10. The mounting of the whole J-t'ube construction in a housing is by means of angle iron supports 6a as well as by other supports not shown in the drawing such as, e.g. feet at the bottom.

The upper section 4 of the J-tube, has no heating jacket, it is provided with two inlets 15 and 16 fitted with valves 15a and 16a respectively, for the direct introduction of steam into the steam room 19. Baffle plates 17 placed over each steam inlet prevent jets of steam or of hot water from impinging directly on the slubbing 18. Since there is always a possibility, in spite of the insulating layer 24, of condensation occurring in the steam room 19 or of water entering the same via steam inlets 15 and 16, the lower end of steam room 19 is provided with an annular trough-shaped condensate collecting groove 20 from which condensate is drained through an outlet tube 21. A second annular condensate collecting groove 22 equipped with a drain tube 23 is provided at the lower rim of the steam room lid 3a, about the inlet 3, to gather any condensate that is deposited on the wall of the lid. A drainage tube 28 is connected to the lowest point of the J-tube; it is useful, particularly, for cleaning purposes.

The pad mangle 1 can be any of the known types of mangles, i.e. it can be a horizontally disposed mangle as shown or a vertically disposed mangle in which the two rollers are not side by side but are positioned one over the other.

The pad mangle which is positioned above the J-tube draws the slubbing 18 from a bobbin 25, impregnates it with the dye liquor, the temperature of which is from about 20 to about 60 C., preferably about 30 C., and mangles the slubbing in a manner known per se. From the pad mangle, the impregnated slubbing enters the steam room 19 through the inlet opening 3 and the fixation of the dyestuff begins. The valves 15a and 16a in the steam inlets 15 and 16 are so controlled that the correct steam conditions are maintained in the steam room .at all times. Since the steam room is open at the top, the conditions prevailing inside the steam room can be checked by testing the type and amount of steam escaping from the opening 3. i In addition, measuring instruments can be placed in the steam room.

The slubbing is caused to enter the steam room 19 at a rate of from about 4 to about 10 meters (m.) per minute, preferably 5 to 8 m. per minute which is therefore the speed at which the pad mangle should be driven.

As the saturated steam in steam room 19 penetrates into the slubbing the latter is given the well-known fluffy character and is laid at the lower end of the steam room onto the coil of slubbing filling the entire perpendicular main tube 7 and the curved bottom piece 8, without being deflected by any guiding rollers and thus only stressed by its own weight, winding after winding being added at the top end of the coil column 18a, as the latter moves downwardly in the tube 7 under its own weight.

When the above-mentioned dimensions are observed, the windings of column 18a of slubbing windings in tubes 7, 8 and 9, have a length of about m.; this means that a given winding of the column 18a passes through tubes 7, 8 and 9, under the above-stated conditions, namely at feed rates of 4 to 10 m. per minute, and at an identical withdrawal rate from extension tube 9, within a time of 16 to 40 minutes. This corresponds to a presence of each portion of the slubbing in the main tube 7 for a period of about 10 to 35 minutes, during which time complete fixation of the dyestutf is achieved, at a temperature in the main tube, of 98 C. at all times. This temperature is maintained by a corresponding supply of heating medium to the heating chamber 10.

The apparatus described above and the manner of using it represent a considerable advance in the dyeing of wool slubbing. Compared with constructions which are already known it has the advantage that the temperature of both the steam room and the fixing room can be regulated separately being derived from separate sources of energy. An important characteristic of the apparatus described above is that there are no mechanically moving parts which can lead to disruption of the whole process.

.Since the J-tube is completely smooth, the slubbing can pass down through it without any disturbance at all, and because it has a round cross section which is not too large, a constant temperature is maintained in the slubbing filling the whole cross section, much more readily than in the known tubes of rectangular cross section.

It is, therefore, possible to feed several slubbings to a single J-tube either from a single pad mangle or from several pad mangles.

The pad mangles which are used in combination with the apparatus according to the invention are preferably of the type the speed of which can be reduced to 1 meter per minute so that an interruption in the feed to the L tube can be avoided when it is necessary to join the ends of the slubbing from the various bobbins. The relatively small cross section of the J-tube limits the number of slubbings that can be introduced simultaneously. In order to treat a larger number of slubbings at the same time, a plurality of J-tubes according to the invention can be arranged parallel to each other in the manner illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4, so that there is no danger of the slubbings in the tube becoming entangled.

It is thus possible to provide common heating means for the several J-tubes. In the embodiment of FIGURES 3 and 4, there are two pad mangles, one of which only is shown and designated by reference numeral 41; the horizontal axis of the pad mangles are at right angles or, preferably, at a slightly larger angle to each other; each of the pad mangles draws the slubbings from the ten bobbins (42 to 51 in the case of pad mangle 41). The other pad mangle and bobbin arrangement is located above tubes 36-40. Five J-tubes are arranged under each pad mangle, tubes 31-35 being under the left hand pad mangle (not shown) and tubes 3640 being under the right hand pad mangle 41. In the FIGURE 4, the pad mangle above the I-tubes 31 to 35 has not been shown so that the feed openings 31a to 35a of the J-tubes 31 to 35 are visible. In FIGURE 3, two slubbings enter one and the same J-tube, for example, slubbings 50a and 51a from bobbins 50 and 51 enter J-tube 40. FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view of this J-tube; it is exactly the same as the other nine J-tubes and differs from that shown in FIG- URES 1 and 2 only in that it does not have an individual heating jacket 6. In FIGURES 3 and 4, a first insulated container 53 houses the five ]-tubes 31 to 35 and a second insulated container 52 houses the five J-tubes 36 to 40. Each container serves as a common heating jacket for the five I-tubes which it encloses. Each of these heating jackets is. heated by several steam inlets 54 and outlets such as 55 and 56 are provided for steam in the jacket and condensate in the J-tubes, e.g. J-tube 40, its steam room and collection groove at the top of the said steam room. For obvious reasons, only still unfixed slubbings dyed the same color can be fed simultaneously into the same J-tube, but it is quite possible to have differently colored dyes on different pad mangles and thus to obtain slubbings of different colors simultaneously from such apparatus for the combined treatment of slubbings from dilferent pad mangles. From the l tubes, the slubbings pass through a metal guide 57 into acontainer or a washing machine or onto a winding spool (not shown).

Although only two pad triangles are shown in the construction illustrated in FIGURE 4, naturally there can also be three, four or more pad mangles and each pad mangle can feed its slubbings into one or more J-tubes.

A J-tube unit as shown in FIGURE 4 is as productive as a group of separate single units such as shown in FIG- URES 1 and 2, but it occupies less space, consumes less energy heating and less time and personnel for controlling and operating it.

The apparatus according to the invention described above serves not only for the steam fixation of padded wool sliihbings but may be used equally satisfactorily for the steam fixation of padded slubbings from other textile fibers.

It is thought that the invention and its advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it is apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without de- 6 parting from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing its material advantages, the forms hereinhefore described and illustrated in the drawings being merely preferred embodiments thereof.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for the continuous padding of slubbings with a dye liquor and continuous fixing of the dye on the slubbings, comprising padding means,

.T-tube means open at both ends and being disposed beneath said padding means, said I-tube means comprising an upper section serving as a steam room, and

an elongated, tubular lower section of approximately J-shaped longitudinal section, said lower section being freely communicatingly connected with the top end of the J to the bottom of said steam room, said lower section having a smooth inside surface,

means connected to said steam room for introducing fresh steam in jet form directly thereinto, means associated with said steam-introducing means for preventing said steam in jet form from impinging directly on said slubbings and for preventing water particles carried by said steam from coming into contact with said slubbings, and

means associated with said last-mentioned means for adjusting the rate of flow of steam into said steam room in order to maintain an approximately saturated steam atmosphere therein, the space intermediate said padding means and said elongated tubular lower section of said ]-tube means, which space comprises said steam room, being free from obstacles capable of mechanically deflecting and impeding the free untensioned drop of said slubbings from said padding means into said elongated tubular section of said J-tube means, said steam room having an inlet opening so located above said lower section and just below said padding means that a slubbing issuing from said padding means is capable of entering said lower section via said steam room under its own weight, free from other stresses, and piling up in said lower section only,

means about at least a major portion of said lower section for externally heating the latter, separately and independently from the introduction of steam into said steam room, and

means for withdrawing the fixed dyed slubbings from the lower open end of the lower section of said I-tube means.

2. An apparatus as described in claim 1, further comprising condensate gathering means disposed in said upper section and adapted for draining condensate therefrom to the outside, and thereby preventing said condensate from entering said lower section of the J-tube means.

3. An apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said means for externally heating said lower section of said Ltube means comprise a heating jacket about at least a major portion of said lower section, and at least one steam inlet connected to said jacket.

4. An apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said lower section of said J-tube is of substantially circular inner cross section.

5. An apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said lower portion of substantially J-shaped longitudinal section extends with the longer straight portion of the J downwardly from said upper section, while the shorter portion of the J extends upwardly at an angle from the lowermost zone of the J 6. An apparatus as described in claim 5, wherein the longer straight portion of said J is from about 8 to 12 times as long as the upper section of said J-tube means is high.

7. An apparatus as described in claim 5, wherein said shorter portion of the J forms an angle with the longer 7 straight portion of the J of about 30 to 70, depending on the ratio of the length of said lower portion to that of said longer straight portion.

8. An apparatus as described in claim 1, further comprising means for controlling the temperature connected with said lower section.

9. An apparatus as described in claim 1, further comprising means for maintaining the temperature within said lower section constant.

10. In an apparatus for fixing the dye on slubbings to which dye liquor has been applied, comprising means for contacting said slubbings with steam for heating and simultaneously moistening said slubbings, and means for withdrawing the fixed slubbings from said apparatus,

the improvement comprising J-tube means, entry means provided at said J-tube means adapted for admitting the slubbings bearing unfixed dye exclusively under their own weight into said J-tube means, means for introducing fresh steam in jet form directly into the upper portion of said J-tube means into direct contact with the slubbings introduced thereinto, means associated with said steam introducing means for preventing said steam in jet form from impinging directly on said slubbings and for preventing water particles carried by said steam from coming into contact with said slubbings, and means for controlling the atmosphere in said upper section of said I-tube means, an elongated lower section of said J-tube means freely communicatingly connected with its upper end to the bottom of said upper section and being adapted for receiving said slubbings therein in the form of a column of slubbing windings progressing steadily and unobstructedly downwardly to the lowest point of said J-tube means under their own weight, and means separate from said steam-introducing means, for heating externally said lower section of said J-tube, independently of the introduction of steam into contact with said slubbings in said upper section.

11. The improvement described in claim 10, wherein said J-tube means comprise an internally substantially unobstructed, smooth-walled tubular passage extending from said upper section in the form of a J through the entire lower section of said J-tube means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,001,435 8/11 Palmer 68-178 1,041,031 10/12 Craig 68178 X 2,350,021 5/44 Dunn 686 X 2,391,905 1/46 Kauffmann 68178 X 2,397,762 4/46 Steele 68-178 2,493,740 1/50 Adams 68-179 X 2,763,912 9/56 Griifin 68-5.4 2,833,136 5/58 Prince 685.4 2,858,184 10/58 Bell 68178 X 2,957,595 8/60 Moelter 68178 3,019,631 2/62 Freyberg 68-178 3,027,740 4/62 Sonnino 68178 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,097,322 2/55 France.

IRVING BUNEVICH, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS PADDING OF SLUBBINGS WITH A DYE LIQUOR AND CONTINUOUS FIXING OF THE DYE ON THE SLUBBINGS, COMPRISING PADDING MEANS, J-TUBE MEANS OPEN AT BOTH ENDS AND BEING DISPOSED BENEATH SAID PADDING MEANS, SAID J-TUBE MEANS COMPRISING AN UPPER SECTION SERVING AS A STEAM ROOM, AND AN ELONGATED, TUBULAR LOWER SECTION OF APPROXIMATELY J-SHAPED LONGITUDINAL SECTION, SAID LOWER SECTION BEING FREELY COMMUNICATINGLY CONNECTED WITH THE TOP END OF THE J TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID STEAM ROOM, SAID LOWER SECTION HAVING A SMOOTH INSIDE SURFACE, MEAN CONNECTED TO SAID STEAM ROOM FOR INTRODUCING FRESH STEAM IN JET FORM DIRECTLY THEREINTO, MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID STEAM-INTRODUCING MEANS FOR PREVENTON SAID STEAM IN JET FORM FROM IMPINGING DIRECTLY ON SAID SLUBBLINGS AND FOR PREVENTING WATER PARTICLES CARRIED BY SAID STEAM FROM COMMING INTO CONTACT WITH SAID SLUBBINGS, AND MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE RATE OF FLOW OF STEAM INTO SAID STEAM ROOM IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN AN APPROXIMATELY SATURATED STEAM ATMOSPHERE THEREIN, THE SPACE INTERMEDIATE SAID PADDING MEANS AND SAID ELONGATED TUBULAR LOWER SECTION OF SAID J-TUBE MEANS, WHICH SPACE COMPRISES SAID STEAM ROOM, BEING FREE FROM OBSTACLES CAPABLE OF MECHANICALLY DEFLECTING AND IMPEDING THE FREE UNTENSIONED DROP OF SAID SLUBBINGS FROM SAID PADDING MEANS INTO SAID ELONGATED TUBULAR SECTION OF SAID J-TUBE MEANS, SAID STEM ROOM HAVING AN INLET OPENING SO LOCATED ABOVE SAID LOWER SECTION AND JUST BELOW SAID PADDING MEANS THAT A SLUBBING ISSUING FROM SAID PADDING MEANS IS CAPABLE OF ENTERING SAID LOWER SECTION VIA SAID STEAM ROOM UNDER ITS OWN WEIGHT, FREE FROM OTHER STRESSES, AND PILING UP IN SAID LOWER SECTION ONLY, MEANS ABOUT AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF SAID LOWER SECTION FOR EXTERNALLY HEATING THE LATTER, SEPARATELY AND INDEPENDENTLY FROM THE INTRODUCTION OF STEAM INTO SAID STEAM ROOM, AND MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING THE FIXED DYED SLUBBINGS FROM THE LOWER OPEN END OF THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID J-TUBE MEANS. 